A late-night collision with a vehicle left a bicyclist down on the pavement and East Olive Way partially blocked just before midnight Thursday. The 911 call came in at 11:49 PM to the report of the injured bicyclist who was down but in unknown condition following the crash. Few details on this incident so we hope to update with more soon. Thanks to @magreader for letting us know about the incident.
We reported on an incident a few blocks away on Saturday night in which a vehicle hit a pedestrian near East Olive Way and Melrose.
Publicola this week reported on traffic statistics released by the Seattle Department of Transportation showing how relatively rare car vs. bicycle incidents are:
Although pedestrian and bike collisions were the most likely collisions to be fatal (accounting for 11 of 24 fatalities), overall, driving a car remains the most dangerous way to get around. Ninety-three percent of all accidents in 2009 were between cars or cars and stationery objects (like parked cars, which accounted for 24 percent of all car-on-car crashes, or things like phone poles and street signs, which made up another 6 percent).
The analysis also reveals some interesting trends about transportation in the city — but that’s probably more appropriate for another post.
I heard the crash and people yelling so I went out to see what happened. It had only been about 5 minutes, but the police were already there so I listened to them interviewing people, then I talked with my friend who saw the whole thing.
It was dark and rainy and the guy on the bike had dark clothes, a black helmet and one little white flasher on the front of his bike. He was going downhill on Olive way, passing Clever Dunne’s. He said he thought the guy in the Hummer saw him. He was shaken up but appeared unhurt and was pretty mellow about the whole thing.
The guy driving the yellow Hummer H2 was going up hill fairly slowly, turning left from Olive Way onto Howell. He didn’t see the bike, which ended up mangled beneath his front bumper. Not realizing the bike was still under the truck, he started pulling forward to get out of the middle of the road.
He only made it about a foot before a crowd of 30 or so people mobbed the vehicle. They thought he was trying to flee and yanked both his doors open, dragged him bodily from the car and grabbed his keys. It looked like they were going to beat his ass, but other people in the crowd (the heroes of the day) convinced the rest to chill out.
The guy was in his early 20’s and acted like an entitled douchebag, smelled like alcohol and kept saying “…he told me if you get involved with the cops, call this lawyer.” He told police he hadn’t had anything to drink that night (perhaps that he came from a party where he’d had drinks spilled on him). He didn’t seem drunk–I assume he either blew clean or, if he had been drinking, refused the test.
“Douchebag” potentially drunk Hummer driver aside, those little white flashy lights, the ones with a single LED, that many cyclists use are next to worthless. Given the lighting in that area, I don’t think a cautious driver would miss seeing a cyclist, even in dark clothing.
That said, wearing a bit of reflective clothing and using a brighter light, like a Planet Bike Beamer 3 ($20 on Amazon) is a good bare minimum. Trust me, these make a *huge* difference in your visibility – that and keeping your batteries fresh or using rechargeables.
I see a LOT of fellow cyclists with *really* dim lights. While walking near a layover on Belmont (Route 14 terminal) the other night I saw a woman riding with a *barely* visible headlight. I almost stopped her and begged her to go buy some batteries but didn’t want to risk a negative bus driver/cyclist interaction. Sigh…
These reports seems to happen a few times a week! Anyone who has driven in this area knows that this is a VERY unsafe area for pedestrians and cyclists. SDOT needs to fix E Olive Way near Denny. It needs a traffic circle or something.
At least once a week I see some idiot cyclist acting out their death wish on public streets. It makes me so angry because I don’t want to be a part of it when some cyclist gets plowed down for running a stop sign/stop light/pedestrian. If you ride a bicycle, wear visible clothing, obey traffic laws and use some common sense! If not for your own good, then for that of others on the road or for whoever cares for you personally.
The guy driving the Hummer may well be a douchebag, but if he were drunk and refused a test he would have been arrested under Seattle’s implied consent law. Perhaps he was defensive, but who wouldn’t be when a mob of self-appointed critical massholes pulls you from your vehicle and steals your keys?
I hate coming down on the side of a Hummer driver on principle alone… But a cyclist dressed all in black on a rainy night is invisible. If you ride at night, please make sure you are visible and that if you push through intersections, others have plenty of time to react to you.
At least once a day I see some idiot driver acting out their deadly ways on public streets. It makes me so angry because I don’t want to be part of it when some human gets plowed down for any of the various reasons that make cars a leading cause of death. If you drive a car, obey traffic laws, such as the speed limit or when to yield, and use some common sense! If not for your own good, then for that of others on the road.